A lavishly illustrated volume of Pakistani textiles of extraordinary colour and vibrancy from one of the most arid areas on Earth.

The Flowering Desert: Textiles from Sindh focuses on a private collection of textiles from Sindh, Pakistan, which, according to some scholars, was the crucible in which the textile traditions of Gujarat and Rajasthan were forged.

Sindhi textiles are unique inasmuch as they reflect a dimension that combines the harshness of the terrain with a quest for a mythical and unattainable beauty.

The collection is recognized as being of outstanding merit and some of it has featured in exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

In addition to sumptuous reproductions of 120 remarkable objects the book includes contextual photographs of textiles in use.

by Hasan Askari